The semi-weekly fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-09-20
UNDER THE HUDSON RIVER.
THE TUNNEL TO CONNECT NEW
YORK AND NEW JERSEY.
Two Parallel GalIeries-Power of
Imprisoned Aria Comparison
With Great English Tunnels.

visit if the visitor goes with the impress
sion that he is to see a new Mammoth
Cave full of stalactites and other glitter
ing objects Down into well of fifty
feet he is dropped like leaden ball, and
when once standing on the bottom he
finds himself at the entrance. Two par
allel galleries, separated by few feet,
extend out indefinitely under the bed of
the river. The south gallery Is dark at
this time; but as far as the eye can reach
along the north gallery twinkling lights
are seen. But they only serve to make
darkness visible. The visitor meets
his first surprise on following the foot
steps of his guide into the arched open
ing. He discovers that he can touch
the highest point of the arch with his
hand by slight effort, and that if he is
not cautious he will touch it sometimes
without any effort whatever, and carry
off some of its slime upon his tile. How
is the tall smokestack of locomotive to
stand erect in this limited space This
will be likely to be his first inquiry but
a few words of explanation solves the
riddle. 1t is not economy, with the i'm
perfect means at hand, to take all the
silt eXcavated from the headings of the
tunnel to the surface. Only enough is
lifted from the we'll to leave a passage
way to the working chamber, and the
remainder is left in the tunnel until the
approaches are completed, and it can be
moved by the aid of a steam engine and
cars. Each of the two parallel galleries
are eighteen feet high under the arch by
sixteen feet wide. But only about six
feet or seven are left open for passage,
and probably as much as three fourths of
the silt taken from the heading remains
in the tunnel.
Following your guide along the
straight and narrow way which stretches
out into the darkness you discover occa-
sionally what seems to be the ghost of
some patient mule dragging at his heels
on a very narrow tramWay Il small load
of silt This is some of the excess which
must 90 to the surface. Suggestive also
of the extreme care which must be used
in the construction of such work, you
find yourself sometimes almost stumbling
over the tripods of surveyors who block
the way 1t was the boast of the engi-
neers of the Mersey Tunnel that they met
under the middle of the river on lines
that varied less than one inch from a
continuous line 1t is expected that an
equally scientific result will he reached
in the construction of the Hudson River
Tunnel. Having got your feet out of
the tangle of tripods you pass on; but 1t
would be useless to report all the curious
things that man sees in passage into
this mysterious cavern. The truth is he
sees nothing very clearly until finally,
when the distance begins to seem inter
minable he reaches the first air lock.
This looks like the opening to a GENE
terry vault of reduced size, and the pros
pect beyond does not seem any more in
viting. A heavy brick wall is built
solidly across the tunnel with an iron
door three or four feet high in the mid
die, and all beyond seems eternal dark
ness and silence. AS you gaze you feel
a sense of respect for the courage of men
who day after day will consent to pass
through such a seemingly impenetrable
barrier. 1t is little too suggestive of
the life beyond the grave to be quite
comfortable.
At this point you may have your first
illustration of the power of the i'm
prisoned air demon. The air locks, it
should be known, are operated after the
precise system of water locks on a canal
Before the outer door can be opened the
air in the lock must be let out through
small aperture; and here you may learn
some of the capabilities of compressed
in its escape all the steamers of the North
River blowing off their steam in chorus
would be only as the whispering of the
wind to the roll of thunder. 1t fills the
tunnel with such an eXcruciating and
long continued roar that life seems to be
no longer worth living. But it ceases
suddenly and the visitor can then pass
into the lock- After the door is closed
behind him, however, he must wait in
outer darkness until the space is again
filled with compressed air from the inner
chamber. Then the inner door may be
opened, and, having been locked
through, he will be at liberty to pass
onward But he will move with an adj
ditional pressure of thirty-four pounds of
air on every square inch of his limbs. If
a man is in perfectly sound physical con-
dition he will be able to bear it without
difficulty. 1t is only thirty-four pounds
added to the normal pressure of fourteen.
which every man experiences without
any sense of carrying load. But if he
has any malady of the ear he will be adj
vised to remain where the air is thinner.
The xorkmen who pass eight hours of
the twenty-four in the compressed air
chamber complain little of what they
call rheumatism, but suffer no serious in
convenience.
For both safety in construction and
stability after the work is completed, the
plan of the Hudson River Tunnel seems
to be superior to the plan of either of the
long tunnels under water In England.
Tba NarSav Tunnel IL formed nv SINGLE